Nine canines, including several rescued from animal shelters, recently graduated from a California Highway Patrol (CHP) program where they were trained as bomb-sniffing dogs.

Following Sept. 11, 2001, the department determined California needed more protection against the possibility of terrorists hiding explosives in commercial trucks or in state buildings.

The graduation marked the first time the CHP has done its own acquisition and training of canines. One golden Labrador retriever, Manny, was within one day of being euthanized at an animal shelter when he was selected for the bomb dog program.

"Dogs have a sense of smell as much as 1,000 times more sensitive than a human's. Canines were the obvious choice to increase our protection against explosive devices," said Officer Larry Cuslidge, program coordinator. The dogs are trained to identify more than a dozen different explosive compounds.

Meanwhile, the CHP has instituted 24-hour operation and added 150 new officers at its commercial inspection facilities. Another class of bomb-sniffing dogs is scheduled to begin CHP training in January. The canine program coordinators tested more than 500 animal shelter dogs from facilities throughout California before selecting those for the current class.